Farmers Insurance Open 2014: Tee Times, Date and TV Schedule

Whenever Tiger Woods is in the field at a PGA Tour event, the hype inevitably increases.

Combine that with the fact that this week's Farmers Insurance Open is a tournament Woods has won a record seven times and is held at the venue of his major triumph—the 2008 U.S. Open—and it becomes all the more captivating.

Plus, this marks Woods' first start in the 2013-14 season other than the tournament he hosts, the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge.

Woods will take on an elite field at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, Calif. Given his competitive streak and penchant for dominance, it's likely Woods will see anything less than defending his title as a disappointment.

Tiger Woods playing this week at Farmers Insurance Open. He's won 8 times at Torrey Pines. No player has won 9 PGA TOUR events at a course.

Tee Times: First group is off at 9 a.m. PST. For a complete list of tee times for the first two rounds, visit PGATour.com.

2014 Farmers Insurance Open TV Schedule

Date

Time (EST)

Station

Thursday, Jan. 23

3-7 pm

Golf Channel

Friday, Jan. 24

3-7 pm

Golf Channel

Saturday, Jan. 25

1-2:30 pm; 3-6 pm

Golf Channel; CBS

Sunday, Jan. 26

1-2:30 pm; 3-6 pm

Golf Channel; CBS

Source: PGA.com

Marquee Groups to Watch

No. 10: Billy Horschel, Ian Poulter and Rickie Fowler

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

This trio is not at all short on swagger. Between Horschel's animated on-course antics, Poulter's passion and wardrobe and Fowler's own flair for style both in dress and in game, galleries should be gathering to watch all these unique individuals.

Coming off a final-round 64 at the Humana Challenge that featured two eagles and finishing joint-sixth at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions prior to that, Horschel is beginning to find his groove in 2014.

His cause was harmed immensely by a quadruple bogey last week, which led Horschel to tweet his surprise at making the weekend:

Surprised to be playing tomorrow. See if we can get the putts to fall tomorrow and get some mojo leading into next week! #findthedark

But that last round gave him the boost he needed ahead of Torrey Pines. Precision from tee to green and a consistent putter make Horschel a threat to be a legitimate superstar in the coming years.

The last time Poulter hit the links aside from a seventh-place effort at the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge was the 2013 European Tour finale at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. Poulter finished runner-up by five strokes to an incredibly hot Henrik Stenson.

Those results shot the Englishman to a current 12th spot in the world rankings, and perhaps he can carry that momentum over to the West Coast.

Which younger star will record the best finish this week?

Which younger star will record the best finish this week?

Billy Horschel

Rickie Fowler

11.3%

Jordan Spieth

50.6%

Keegan Bradley

16.7%

Jason Day

16.0%

Total votes: 318

It will be interesting to see how both handle that sort of pressure in playing alongside the most popular golfer on the planet.

Woods' track record here has been outlined rather thoroughly already, but it's difficult to know what to expect from him as he gets his competitive sea legs back, so to speak. Whenever he tees it up, though, his lone goal is to win. No moral victories here, so Woods should be somewhere near his best.

Even when Spieth doesn't have his soundest game, he still tends to hang around for the weekend. That's why his missed cut at the Sony Open was rather surprising.

The good news for the 20-year-old is that he seems to rise to the occasion the bigger the moment. Having dealt with Presidents and FedEx Cup pressure after having no tour status before last season, chances are he'll handle the limelight just fine this time around, too.

No. 42: Brandt Snedeker, Keegan Bradley and Hunter Mahan

Donald Miralle/Getty Images

Having won this event in 2012, Snedeker has some positive previous experience to draw on as he tries to right the ship after a few uninspiring performances to kick off the 2013-14 campaign.

As long as Snedeker's swing is in sync, his putting should keep him in the hunt. This is a venue he loves, having finished as a runner-up twice and in ninth in his other most recent three starts.

Bradley made plenty of headlines at the Humana Challenge. While his four rounds in the 60s weren't enough to get inside the top 15, his hole-in-one certainly got the golfing world's attention:

To his credit, Mahan took some big strides in 2013, playing in 25 tour events and playing in the final group at both the U.S. Open and the British Open. He fell short in both majors, yet still managed to close out with one more encouraging finish at the BMW Championship with a tie for fourth.

With how well he strikes his irons, Mahan could ride a hot putter and become a big factor.

A crushing loss at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship last week saw Mickelson give away a triple bogey in the final round, only to fall one shot short of winner Pablo Larrazabal.

Beyond that blemish, "Lefty" had an otherwise flawless scorecard in the final 18 holes at a difficult venue. The double-hit that led to the triple was yet another difficult sequence to watch, but it's also what makes Mickelson so likable. Golf Digest reported what he had to say afterward:

"That was not a smart decision. But I don't know, that's just what I do."--Phil Mickelson http://t.co/VaJKeutWHW

Although confidence is never a big issue for Mickelson, the great result makes him a favorite at Torrey Pines.

Watson won this event in 2011 and has the massive arsenal of shots and power to pull it off again. Between him and Mickelson, there might not be a better duo to watch just because of their unpredictable course management and desire to pull off the impossible shot time and time again.